Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Beloved sisters and brothers

    “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
    —Romans 12:15

    We received a request for prayer from our leaders in DR Congo.

    Pastor Jean-Pierre Muya, president of MWC member church Communauté Mennonite de Congo (CMCo), writes: “This is a difficult time in our country. Please continue to pray for the restoration of peace and for the injured.”

    We recognize how the resource-rich eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced ongoing violence and conflict for years, exacerbated by natural disasters.

    And we hear how, in late January, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels escalated the fighting and seized Congolese territory in the Great Lakes region, including the city of Goma, and are threatening to march on the capital Kinshasa in the west. More than 700 people have been killed and 3 000 wounded.

    We are concerned for the hundreds of thousands of people who have been internally displaced. Food and water, medicines and electricity are in short supply and prices are high.

    Pastor Kimbila Antoine, president of MWC member church Conférence des Églises des Fréres Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC) writes that the church has six congregations in Goma. “The Mennonite brothers and sisters in our churches have been crying out every day since the hostilities began,” he writes.

    We pray for wisdom, resources and clear pathways as the church devises strategies to assist.

    “God remains our only hope, for he is able to give us peace through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace,” writes Jean Felix Cimbalanga, president of MWC member church Communauté Evangélique Mennonite (CEM).

    “Thank you very much for your prayers on our behalf,” writes pastor Kimbila Antoine.

    We cry out with our brothers and sisters for God’s mercy on DR Congo.

    • We pray for peace: for not only a stop to violence for also for the conditions of shalom where neighbours are reconciled to neighbours and all can flourish.
    • We call on our communities to seek justice for DR Congo and to engage our political systems in so doing.

    Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
    In the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace, amen.

    Henk Stenvers

    Henk Stenvers,
    president,
    Mennonite World Conference

    headshot of Siaka Traoré

    Siaka Traoré
    regional representative
    Mennonite World Conference

    Global Church Sharing Fund
    a group of mostly women sit under a tree on wooden and plastic chairs

  • Beloved sisters and brothers: 

    The raging fires in Los Angeles in southern California, USA, have impacted many communities. At publication time, the fires have destroyed more than 160 km2, claimed the lives of at least 24 with dozens missing or unaccounted for, and destroyed more than 10,000 structures, including homes and churches.

    MWC member churches affected:

    • From Pasadena Mennonite and Wholicare Community Missionary churches of Mennonite Church USA, dozens of households were displaced by evacuation orders and three lost their homes to fire.
    • From the Mennonite Brethren, there are 12 churches in the region. None were directly affected but Iglesia de Restauración La Senda Antingua in Pacoima remains at risk as fires continue and winds blow.
    • From JKI Anugerah – Grace International Christian Fellowship, a part of Mosaic Mennonite Conference, many members have evacuated and received reports of damaged homes and one family has lost their home to fire.
    • Several BIC churches in the region are deeply involved in relief and response to displaced people.
    • Full Circle Thrift, a store owned by Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference remains standing even while businesses and homes all around were burned to the ground.

    Pray for the families who are dealing with fear and displacement or grief at the loss of homes.

    Pray for the firefighters who are doing dangerous work over long hours.

    Pray for city, county, state and federal officials who direct the response to this catastrophe.

    Pray for Anabaptist church leaders and members as they respond to the great needs in congregations and throughout the region.

    Pray for all affected communities as they seek to find ways that will help hope and healing.

    In addition, pray that the United States will experience a peaceful transition in government leadership in the days ahead, and that partisanship will not hinder the delivery of aid.

    “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
    Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change…”
    Psalm 46:1-2

    Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
    In the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace, amen.

    Henk Stenvers

    Henk Stenvers,
    president,
    Mennonite World Conference

    Gerald Hildebrand

    Gerald Hildebrand,
    North America regional representative,
    Mennonite World Conference

  • “Their commitment to passing down the message of peace and the gospel inspires me to live a sacrificial life for peace.” Stories of the early Anabaptist martyrs have shaped and inspired Mennonites around the world for 500 years. They continue to do so for suffering pastors in Myanmar, like the one quoted above.  

    From 25-29 November 2024, five MWC leaders, one MC Canada staff member and 17 pastors from Bible Missionary Church, Mennonite in Myanmar met in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a solidarity visit.  

    Myanmar’s years-long civil war has meant fear, violence, displacement and lost loved ones.  

    “The purpose of the visit was to learn how the global church can support the church in Myanmar during this time of suffering and oppression,” says Deacons Commission secretary Tigist Tesfaye. “And to foster mutual learning about peace and Anabaptism.”

    The solidarity delegates wanted to learn about the situation that the church in Myanmar faces. The challenges of living under military dictatorship have intensified for the church with the recent increased enforcement of mandatory military service.  

    The pastors shared about the burden of possibly being conscripted or having their young adults sons compelled – even kidnapped – into military service. They spoke about fasting from their one meal a day. They said they are sometimes regarded with suspicion by government forces and local religious leaders (Buddhist) for following what is perceived as a Western religion.  

    4 men and 1 woman stand in front of a tropical house
    The MWC delegation: Andrew Suderman, Andres Pacheco Lozano, Agus Mayanto, César García, Tigist Tesfaye.

    The visit was also a response to an invitation for learning about the Anabaptist movement. The schedule included sessions on What We Believe Together (Shared Convictions) led by César García, MWC general secretary. Peace Commission secretary and chair Andrew Suderman and Andres Pacheco Lozano led sessions that explored what it means to be a church dedicated to the ways of Jesus Christ’s peace. 

    There were teaching sessions and pastoral sessions with prayer times, time for discussion and mutual learning. And the pastors from Myanmar shared their experiences and what was on their hearts.  

    Agus Mayanto, MWC’s regional representative for Southeastern Asia, and Norm Dyck of MC Canada Witness led evening prayers.  

    Many of the pastors commented that the lessons on Anabaptist history and being a peace church were entirely new and opened a way to personal change and social change. 

    “They encourage me to view life and faith through a fresh lens,” said one pastor.  

    “I was inspired to learn more about peace – especially active peace as a way of living and responding to challenges,” said another.  

    “Understanding the history of the Anabaptist movement was a significant highlight,” said another. “I am committed to sharing the story of Anabaptism and its history with others.” 

    “When faced with conflict, we often feel limited to two options: seeking revenge or remaining silent. However, studying the Beatitudes taught me a third way: responding with peaceful action,” said another pastor. “This revelation was transformative for me.” 

    The solidarity visit concluded with the pastors from Myanmar highlighting particular ways forward for them to respond to their context. The group identified several ways to grow in the knowledge and practice of building peace as Jesus followers. Discussions groups, task forces and conferences – especially for the youth – were some of the suggestions.  

    How can you pray for Myanmar? 

    The pastors requested prayer  

    • For courage and skill to preach the gospel of peace. 
    • For the pastors to be faithful servants despite the persecution. 
    • For the soldiers who are also suffering. 

  • A pastoral letter on October 7, 2024 

    Beloved brothers and sisters of the global Anabaptist/Mennonite communion: 

    With heavy hearts, we mark the one-year anniversary of terrible events that signalled the beginning of a new cycle of violence in the Middle East. We are heartbroken at the number of lives taken a year ago and since. We grieve the repression, the disregard for human rights, and the dispossession over decades that led up to the current crisis. 

    A year ago, Hamas fighters breached the militarized boundaries of the Gaza Strip and committed heinous acts in Israel. This attack left 1 200 Israelis dead, including nearly 400 soldiers. Some 250 Israeli civilians and security personnel were taken to Gaza as hostages. Israel responded with a horrifying year-long campaign of collective punishment on Gaza, targeting hospitals, schools, places of worship and journalists. The death count in Gaza is more than 40 000 and rising, with thousands missing or unaccounted for. Israel has prevented food and medical aid from entering the strip. Most recently, Israel has unleashed a ferocious military assault on neighbouring Lebanon.  

    As Christians dedicated to Christ’s way of peace, we reject war as a way to resolve differences. We stand with all who suffer today, whether Jewish, Muslim or Christian. At times, we feel helpless – even complicit – as trauma and prejudice accumulated over generations spill out in waves of hatred and destruction.  

    Jesus, the Prince of Peace, teaches us that war does not lead to human flourishing. Courageous love of enemies and nonviolent pursuit of justice for all is how we aspire to follow Jesus. Love trains our hearts to see God in the human “other.” Love gives us the courage to seek justice and to live rightly with one another. As followers of Jesus, we pray for that courage to love with transformative power. For it is love that offers a fundamentally different reality and future than the cycles of violence that oppress, suppress and kill fuelled by lust for power and mechanisms of death.  

    The global Anabaptist/Mennonite communion reiterates our call of October 2023 for all parties in this conflict to lay down weapons and begin the hard work of peacemaking. We call for the release of captives – both the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the Palestinian prisoners held illegally in “administrative detention” by the Israeli state. Where possible, we resolve to speak to our own governments and fellow citizens who may be giving uncritical support that perpetuates the ongoing conflict. 

    Justice must accompany peace, and all parties in this conflict have grievances. We confess our failure to listen well and to seek justice, to acknowledge the inadequacy of our wisdom. So, we call on the Holy Spirit to teach and equip us to act with humility and courage as we speak and act. 

    We pray not only for violence to cease, but for lands of the Bible to become a place of human harmony and diversity, where neighbours “sit under their own vines and their own fig trees” with no one to make them afraid (Micah 4:4). We reaffirm our conviction that

    “The Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and share our possessions with those in need.”

    (Mennonite World Conference “Shared Convictions” #5)